After years in the development process, Delray Beach Market food hall will open in the spring just a half-block south of Atlantic Avenue in downtown Delray Beach, Florida, announced Menin Development.
The institution will deliver a recipe of equal parts market, community locale, art emporium, and culinary melting pot. Delray Beach Market will be the largest food hall ever to break ground in Florida and the very first in Delray.
“It’s been years in development and it’s finally here, ready to be revealed and to play host to the nearly three million annual visitors to Delray Beach,” said Jordana L. Jarjura, president and general counsel for Menin Development. “We’ve worked hard to analyze and forecast what Delray Beach locals were missing and what our friends from around Florida and the country would love to patronize in a new model food hall, and placed it all within this single destination for food lovers to enjoy.”
The market will pay homage to the Delray Beach experience, drawing from the town’s history as a travel and agricultural center as well as a winter escape. Specialty food purveyors, chef-helmed dining concepts and food incubators will be centered on local and ethnic gastronomy from established brick-and-mortar concepts to food trucks. A creative beverage program, curated art and food exhibitions and an array of programming such as live music shows, culinary schooling, celebrity activations and innovative events also are planned. Clique Hospitality has been appointed to manage the facility.
The four-story, 150,000-square-foot building will feature more than 25 local and regional eateries with a rotating lineup of smaller artisan vendor pop-ups throughout. It also will serve as both a communal and millennial hub for the city of Delray, with opportunities for public gatherings through creative food museum exhibits, collaborations with food artists and educational celebrity culinary demonstrations, as well as an abundance of activations for kids and families to partake in throughout the week will be central to the experience.
Restaurants on the ground floor will include Sorella’s, an artisanal handmade pasta house featuring Chef Jimmy Everett, a Florida native with extensive Italian cuisine experience in kitchens like Marea in New York City and Al Molo in Hong Kong; Bona Bona, an over-the-top ice cream shop with a boozy streak known for wild concoctions like its toasted marshmallow meringue; Tekka Bar, an esteemed hand-roll and sake haven for sushi connoisseurs developed by acclaimed Las Vegas restaurateurs Takashi Segawa & Oliver Wharton, highlighting the freshest seafood alongside an eclectic sake program and fast-Indian cuisine concept Tiffin Box.
Retailers include Nomad, a family-owned and operated veteran surf shop established in 1968, offering surf, swim and beach apparel collections, skate apparel and more.
Construction on the food emporium began in November 2019 and includes 60,000 square feet of hospitality vendors anchored amid a backdrop of large format interactive murals and sculptures by world-renowned artists, a 220-car, four-level enclosed parking garage, first floor and mezzanine levels with an of indoor and outdoor seating areas, as well as dedicated takeout/pick-up spots.
The main hall invites guests to enjoy the exciting sights and sounds of the Market, where a bright and eclectic mix of neon and retro modern signage sets the tone for communal or individual dining. A central bar will present the ultimate in build-your-own Bloody Marys, along with a rotating menu of seasonal cocktails crafted by top mixologists. A craft beer bar on the ground floor will offer a variety of craft beer selections from Florida’s celebrated local breweries. At the mezzanine level, an open show kitchen surrounded with lounge areas along with an additional bar will present a space ideal for hosting cooking and baking classes, while catering to private, corporate and special events.
COVID-19 design measures include touchless bathrooms, collapsible nanowalls for open-air spaces at the mezzanine special event level, two garage doors on the ground floor, enhanced air filter AC system, outdoor seating for 200 and socially-distanced spaced indoor seating.
